A Lake Superior sunrise for you

April 29, 2020

Enter the Sunrise Challenge for a chance to win some Bluefin Bay swag!

The sunrise over Lake Superior is one of the most breathtaking things on earth! We frequently hear from guests who rise early to capture the sunrise from their condo or venture out with their morning coffee to the rocky shoreline to greet the sun as it pops over the horizon.

What is it about a sunrise that reels us in? Perhaps it’s the idea of venturing out before the rest of the world wakes…or being still in the quiet beauty of nature. Maybe, it’s the hope that comes with greeting the dawn of a new day. We all know that experiencing a sunrise can be an instant mood changer.

So, since you can’t be with us to experience the Lake Superior sunrise right now – we’re bringing it to you! Enjoy the sunrise video below shot last week by Ross, our Guest Services Manager – for you.

In that spirit, our next I Love Bluefin Show & Tell Challenge is all about the sunrise. Here’s your chance to get in on the sunrise action. You’ll get to enjoy a beautiful sunrise from home and we’ll get to experience it with you online. Plus, when you enter our virtual challenge you have a chance to win some awesome Bluefin Bay swag!

Show & Tell Challenge #2 – Show Us Your Sunrise!

Get out and enjoy a sunrise near you — any day this next week. Share a photo or video of your sunrise on social media. You’ll get to enjoy a sunrise and greet the day, and we’ll get to enjoy it with you.

Share your sunrise photo or video on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags: #ILoveBluefin and #BluefinShowandTell. Posts must be up by Monday, May 4 at 5 p.m. to be eligible to win.

Win Bluefin Swag! We’ll select one random winner on Facebook and one on Instagram (2 winners total). Each will win a Bluefin Bay sweatshirt (his/her style choice and size) from the inventory currently in our gift shop.

Remember, posts must be up by May 4 at 5 p.m. and have the hashtags #ILoveBluefin and #BluefinShoeandTell to win. And, now, enjoy our beautiful Lake Superior sunrise.

P.S. Our Waterfall Challenge winners will be announced this week on Facebook so stay tuned!

I Love Bluefin – Show & Tell Challenge

April 22, 2020

Enter to win gift cards, swag, or a FREE night’s stay!

We’re living in a virtual world these days – virtual meetings, virtual concerts and events, and yes, virtual vacations. Since vacations to Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts are not possible right now, we’re bringing the beauty of North Shore spring to you — at home!

So, dream, play and post along with us by entering our “I Love Bluefin – Show & Tell Challenges” in social media. You’ll engage with other Bluefin Bay lovers and have a chance to win great stuff – like Bluefin Bay gift cards, swag and maybe even a FREE night’s stay.

Here’s how it works.

We’ll post a Show & Tell Challenge each week on our Virtual Bluefin page and on Facebook and Instagram inviting you to show and tell us about your experience. What’s your favorite happy place on the North Shore? Share your favorite Bluefin Bay activity or vacation experience? This week, it’s all about the wow of our waterfalls in the spring. Show us, tell us, and tag us with #ILoveBluefin and #BluefinShowandTell. We’ll all get to enjoy your photo or experience and we’ll be randomly selecting a winner or winners each week to win cool stuff. It’s our way of saying thank you and to keep you dreaming of Bluefin Bay.

This Week: Waterfall Show & Tell

Our first challenge is all about the WOW of North Shore waterfalls.

To enter:

Show and/or Tell: What’s your favorite North Shore waterfall or waterfall hike, and why? When did you visit? Who was along? What made it special?

Share on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags: #ILoveBluefin and #BluefinShowandTell

Be creative and have fun thinking about your Bluefin Bay and North Shore memories.

We’ll select a random winner (or two) from the posts and notify you on the social channel you entered on.

For the waterfall challenge, we’re randomly selecting one winner on Facebook and one on Instagram. Each winner will receive a $50 Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts Gift Card. Don’t forget the hashtags and enter by Tuesday, April 28 to win.

Happy posting! We can’t wait to see your WOW waterfalls.

P.S. Missing the roaring and gushing of those North Shore waterfalls — we’re sharing a Waterfall of the Week on Facebook and Instagram on Monday’s.

Read more about our favorite North Shore Waterfall hikes and see our Waterfall of the Week (WOW) playlist here.

Bluefin Bay Family of Resort aids in local Covid-19 Prep

April 14, 2020

One of the silver linings of a public crisis – like the Covid-19 pandemic – is that it often brings people and communities closer together. This is especially visible in smaller communities, like Minnesota’s North Shore.

So, it’s no surprise that when local businesses were notified that North Shore Health Hospital and Care Center in Grand Marais needed help to prepare for a possible influx of Covid-19 patients, Bluefin Bay Resorts was happy to step up.

North Shore Health had been asked how many patient beds it could provide if it used all available areas of the hospital. Cook County Chamber Director, Jim Boyd, asked area lodging establishments if they could help by providing twin beds.

Dennis Rysdahl, Bluefin Bay’s owner and CEO, knew that very few hotels or lodges use twin beds today, so he offered to help find beds through his supply sources. Dennis identified two roll-away bed styles that met the approval of Kimber Wraalstad, North Shore Health Administrator, and had 30 of each style shipped to Cook County. Those beds are currently stockpiled in a storage facility thanks to another local business owner, Jack Stone of Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply. [Let’s hope we don’t need them!]

Additionally, since Bluefin Bay Resorts are closed in April, many resort condo owners offered their units for people who may be exposed to the Covid-19 virus and need a safe place to quarantine. This planning was done in coordination with Cook County Public Health. Bluefin Bay is also making units available for anyone needing shelter in a domestic violence situation.

Until we meet again…never miss a wave

April 7, 2020

Dear guests, friends, and fans of Bluefin Bay Resorts,

Hello! We miss you, and we hope you are staying home and staying safe.

These photos taken around Bluefin Bay this past week are a sad reminder of the difficult times we’re living in. The resorts, parking lots and restaurants are all empty — and it’s just not the same around here without you. We miss the faces of happy vacationers, kids playing, and employees bustling about.

At the same time, we’re seeing signs of spring, and we spring sprouts HOPE.

Today, as the last of the snow melts along the shore, the waves crash, the grass greens, and nearby waterfalls gush — our gratitude goes to the health care workers and first responders, grocery store workers, farmers, truck drivers, sanitation workers, social service nonprofits, child care providers, food shelf volunteers, post office workers, government leaders, agencies and ALL of those on the front lines providing care, relief and support during this public health crisis.

From all of us at Bluefin Bay, we THANK YOU!

Bringing Bluefin Bay to you

While vacations to the North Shore are not possible at the moment, we are allowed to dream. We plan to bring Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts and the beloved North Shore to you at home – with beautiful picture, captivating videos, newsy updates, and entertaining stories. We all know, anticipation is the greatest joy. So, we’ll keep inspiring you to dream about your next getaway. Join us here on the I Love Bluefin Blog each week and on Facebook and Instagram where we can share memories and dream together. We invite you to share your favorite photos and memories virtually — until we meet again in person.

Readying to welcome you back safely

In addition to sharing our beautiful area with you online, we’re busy exploring how to safely reopen the resorts. We’re rethinking our services and how to make them safe during COVID-19. We’re looking into extra sanitation services, rethinking food service with appropriately spaced and outdoor dining and in-room delivery, and even exploring curbside check-in. We’ll keep you posted on all that is happening in and around the resorts to ensure that we can welcome you back safely soon. Check back here and on our COVID-19 update page here.

We bring you closer

At Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts, we pride ourselves on bringing you closer to Lake Superior and closer to each other. And we’ll continue to bring you closer, but for now, we’ll do it virtually. Make sure you “like” and follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you can join in dreaming of warm summer days, crashing Lake Superior waves, hiking our lush green Superior National Forest, and take a soak in our hot tub.

Please hashtag your photos when you share so we can ALL daydream. Stay connected here and never miss a wave!